With a boost from John Oliver, pūteketeke soars to first in New Zealand bird contest

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/ [login to see] /john-oliver-new-zealand-bird-century-contest-puteketeke
A threatened bird called the pūteketeke landed the top spot in a New Zealand bird contest after comedian and talk show host John Oliver unleashed a zany, worldwide campaign on its behalf.

The New Zealand conservation organization Forest & Bird held the contest for Bird of the Century, asking people in the country and abroad to vote for their favorite threatened species among dozens of contestants.

The Last Week Tonight host said his staff asked Forest & Bird if they could campaign for the pūteketeke, a native water bird with a distinctive black-brown frill around its neck, and the group agreed.